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Lucas Johnson
Mrs. Cramer
College Comp Pd. 3
17 December 2021
Dragons Journey to the Chip

The long-awaited journey all comes down to this… The California High School Boys

Basketball State Championship. Gene Luen Yang followed the team’s journey through their ups

and downs and built a stronger connection with the players as they attempted to bring home a

state title. The coach of the Dragons, Coach Lou, helped make the players stronger, tougher, and

overall better teammates. The end goal was a state championship, but to everyone’s surprise,

they created a family along the way. In his non-fiction graphic novel, Yang’s depicted how the

efforts of both Yang and Coach Lou helped the Dragons reach their goal, the state championship.

To explain, Yang, who was the author of Dragon Hoops, played a crucial role as one of,

if not the main, character in the book. He and Coach Lou’s objectives were to help the Dragons

develop and assist the team in any way possible, so they could win the Championship. Although

Yang and Coach Lou wanted the same outcome, they approached helping in different ways to

support the Dragons. Yang’s way of helping the team was leaning towards conversation and

learning more about them as individuals, so he could be there for them. For example, Yang

interviewed Paris who had a rough background (page 73). Yang realized that Paris did not want

to discuss his personal situation. Yang respected Paris’ privacy and moved on. This is Yang’s

way of letting Paris know that he won’t force anything but would be available if Paris needs

something. Another example is when Yang had another interview with Alex in, which they

talked about Alex’s long journey to becoming a varsity player. Yang ended up complimenting
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him for fighting through his challenging circumstances, which ultimately gave Alex more

confidence on and off the court. “All that hard work paid off right? You’re on varsity now!”

(Yang 316). This shows how Yang brings the positives to light. He provides them with things to

become proud of and things to be grateful for. Yang’s approach to helping the team was different

from Coach Lou, but they were both needed and instrumental.

Equally important, Coach Lou had the same goal in mind, which was to do anything he

could to help the Dragons win a state title, but the way he approached it was much different. His

approach was more of a motivation factor and to push them to be the best version of themselves

which is what a coach is meant for. Before every game, Coach Lou would talk with the team,

and remind them of why there were there and who they are playing for. “This is the legacy that

you are a part of, embrace it” Coach Lou says (Yang 383). This brings the team together before

they go to war against opposing teams with one another. Their chemistry gets much closer as

they have a heart-to-heart, as it’s the calm before the storm. The team understands that they are

not only playing for their self, but for their teammates. The dragons understand the legacy the

school has built and don’t want to let them down. Even when the Dragons lose, Coach Lou

recognized his player, Jev, was visibly upset after the loss. (page 104). Coach approaches Jev

and takes blame for the loss as he explains all the things Jev should be grateful for. He doesn’t

make them run or punish them for their loss, but rather understand the fight they went through.

Coach Lou understands it’s a long season and if he shows signs of giving up, his team will

follow him. He must stick with them and just focus on the next task at hand. Not only does he

work them in practice, but he treats everyone the same on and off the court, which is indictive of

a true leader.
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Despite the differences in which Coach Lou and Yang approached helping the team, their

goal was the same, which was to help the team win, and become closer with the players, coaches,

and staff. Coach Lou worked them and pushed them to be the best version of themselves while

still being there for them and treating them equally. Yang was more of a friend in a way that he

approached and talked with the team. Yang showed empathy and compassion. He made sure the

players knew he would be there to listen and care for them. In order to have a successful team,

you need to become more than a team and Yang knew and understood that. He took it upon

himself to become the friends and family figure for the athletes so there wasn’t a missing piece

within the locker room. Without Yang, the dragons could have ended up becoming short of their

goal again like previous years. Without Coach Lou, the dragons would not have had the work

ethic and self-criticism to become better athletes along with better people. Coach Lou stepped

into a role and legacy which the previous coach built. He had respect for the old coach and spoke

to him frequently and understood that in order to make the school, family, players, and

community proud, he would have to take the necessary steps to win.

In fact, the Dragons fought through adversity after losing against top ranked teams,

playing future NBA all-stars, such as Ben Simmons, and the drama with the diversity on the

team and the ex-coach, but they still found a way to keep their heads together and grind. If they

ever let one of those slip ups get to their head, the whole season could have fallen apart, but the

Dragons were mentally and physically tough. They held all the strong characteristics and positive

traits that represent California State High School Boys Basketball Champions. In the end, both

Coach Lou and Yang helped the Dragons accomplish their ultimate goal, which was to become

state champions.
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Work Cited

Yang, Gene Luen. Dragon Hoops. New York: First Second, 2020. Print.